Debasing Notions of God's Nature.

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that when he wept, and chastised his soul with fasting, Psal. 69. 10, 11, 12.

Hence nothing is so burdensome as the presence of a sober religious person, because of that image of God's holiness shining in him, which strikes so full upon his soul, and sets his heart on work in checking and griping reflections. Now holiness being the glory of God, the peculiar title of the Deity, and from him derived upon the soul, he that mocks this in a person, derides God himself. He that hates the picture of a prince, hates the prince also, and much more were he in his power. He that hates the stream, hates the fonntain; he that hates the beams, hates the sun. The holiness of a creature is but a beam from that infinite sun, a stream from that eternal fountain. If a mixed and imperfect holiness be more the subjects of thy scoffs, than a great deal of sin, surely thou wouldest more roundly scoff at God himself, should he appear in the unblemished and unspotted holiness of his nature, which infinitely shines in him for thy hatred would be greater, because thy contrariety is so much more against the perfection of holiness, than where it is with a mixture. Where there is a hatred of the purity and perfection of any creature, there is a greater reflection upon God, who is the author of that purity.

We

4. In having debasing notions of the holy nature of God. We invert the creation contrary to God's order in it; God made man according to his own image, and we make God according to ours. fashion God like ourselves, and fasten our own humours upon him, as the Lacedemonians were wont to dress their gods after the fashion of their cities, Psal. 40. 21. Though men are enemies to the holy majesty of God, yet they can please themselves well enough with him as represented by that idea their corrupt minds have framed of him. We cannot comprehend God; if we could, we should be infinite, not finite; and because we cannot comprehend him,

we set up in our fancies strange images of him, and so ungod God in our heart and affections.

1. This is an higher affront to God than we imagine. Vulgi opinionis diis applicare prophanum est. Epicurus. De Deo male sentire quam deum esse negare pejus duco. It is worse to degrade the nature of God in our conceits, and to make him a vicious God, than if in our thoughts we did quite discard any such being; for it is not so gross a crime to deny his being, as to fancy him otherwise than he is; such imaginations strip him of his perfections, and reduce him to a mere vanity. Plutarch saith,

he should account himself less wronged by that man that should deny there ever was such a man as Plutarch, than that he should affirm, there was such a man indeed, but he was a choleric clown, a decrepid fellow, a debauched man, and an ignorant fool. This was the general censure of the heathen, that superstition was far worse than atheism, by how much the less evil it was to have no opinion of God, than such as is vile, wicked, derogatory to the pure and holy nature of the divine majesty.

2. Carnal imaginations of God, as well as corporeal images, are idolatry. It is a question, which idolatry is the greatest, to worship an image of wood or stone, or to entertain monstrous imaginations of God. It provokes a man when we liken him to some inferior creature, and call him a dog, or toad; it is not such an affront to a man to call him a creature of such a low rank and classis, as to square and model the perfections of the great God, according to our limited capacities. We do worse than the heathen (of whom the apostle proclaimed) did in their images, they likened the glory of God to such creatures as were of the lowest form in the creation. We liken God not to corruptible man, but to corrupt man, and worse yet, to the very corruptions of men, and worship a God dressed up according to our own foolish fancies; And changed the glory of the incor

Unworthy Addresses to him.

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ruptible God into an image made like to corruptible man, and to birds, and four-footed beasts, and creeping things, Rom. 1. 23. If all those several conceptions and ideas men have of God, were uncased, and discovered, what a monstrous thing would God appear to be, according to the modes the imaginative faculty frames them in?

5. In our unworthy and perfunctory addresses to God. When men come into the presence of God with lusts reeking in their hearts, and leap from sin to duty. God is so holy, that were our services the most refined, as pure as those of the angels, yet we could not serve him suitably to his holy nature, Josh. 24. 19; therefore we deny this holiness, when we come before him without due preparation as if God did not deserve the purest thoughts in our applications to him; or as if a blemished and polluted sacrifice were suitable enough to his naWhen we excite not those elevated frames of spirit, which are due to his greatness, and fulness, and think to put him off with cheap and spotted services, we slight the holy majesty of God, and are guilty of a higher presumption than is fitting for us in our access to an earthly prince.

ture.

We worship him not according to the excellent holiness of his nature, when we have foolish imaginations creep upon us in the very act of duty, which makes our services erroneous, and misguided. When we bring our worldly, carnal, debauched thoughts into his presence, worse than the dogs or slaves we would blush to be attended by in our visits of a great man. When our hearts are turned from God in any duty; while we are speaking with our Creator, to be in our hearts conversing with our sordid sensualities; it is as if we should be raking in a dung-hill when we are talking with a king. We do here but defame his holiness while we pretend to honour it; and profane his name, while we are praying hallowed be thy name. It would argue more modesty, though less sincerity, to say to

our lusts, as Abraham to his servant, Tarry here till I go to sacrifice.

6. In defacing the image of God in our own souls. God in the first draught of man, conformed him to his own image; because we find that in regeneration this image is renewed; The new man, which after God, Kara Otov is created in righteousness and true holiness, Eph. 4. 24. He did not take angels for his pattern in his first polishing the soul, but himself. In defacing this image, therefore, we cast dirt upon the holiness of God, which was his pattern in the framing of us; and rather chuse to be conformed to Satan, who is God's great enemy, and to have God's image wiped out of us, and the devil's pictured in us. Therefore natural men, that are guilty of gross sins, are called devils, John 6. 70. It is spoken of Judas; Christ gave it to Peter too, Matt. 16. 23. And if he give this title to one of the worst of men, and one of the best of men, it will be no wrong to give it to all men. Men wallow in sin, which is directly contrary to that illustrious image which God did imprint upon them; and perform those actions which are odious to God and his righteousness, and suitable to their corruption. Men glory in that which is their shame; and account that their ornament which is the greatest blot upon their nature, which if it were upon God would make him cease to be God.

3. Enmity to the wisdom of God. Presumptuous sins are called a reproach of God; The soul that doth aught presumptuously, the same reproaches the Lord, Num. 15. 30. All reproaches are either for natural, moral, or intellectual defects; all reproaches of God must be either for wickedness or weakness? if for wickedness, his holiness is denied; if for weakness, his wisdom is blemished.

1. In slighting the laws of God. Since God hath no defect in his understanding, his will must be the best and wisest, and therefore his laws highly rational, as being the orders of the wisest agent. As God's

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understanding apprehends all things in their true reason, so his will enjoins nothing but what is highly good, and makes for the happiness of his creature; the true means of whose happiness he understands better than men or angels can do. All laws, though they are enforced by sovereignty, yet they are, or ought to be, in the composing of them, founded upon reason, are indeed applications of the law of nature upon this or that particular emergency. The laws of God then, who is summa ratio, are purely founded upon the truest reason, though every one of them may not be so clear to us; therefore they that make alteration in his precepts, either dogmatically or practically, controul his wisdom, and charge him with folly. When men will observe one part of his law, and not another; pick and chuse where they please, hence it is that sinners are called fools in scripture. It is certainly inexcusable folly, to contradict undeniable and infallible wisdom. If infinite prudence hath framed the law, why is not every part of it observed? If it were not made with the best wisdom, why is any thing of it observed?

He that receives the promises of God, and the testimony of Christ, sets to his seal that God is true, John S. 33. It must thence undeniably follow, that he that refuseth obedience to his law, sets to his seal that God is foolish. Men live as though the commands of God were made in sport, not by counsel. If God took counsel in the making man, there is as much need of counsel in the right ordering him.

If the defacing his image by any sin is a defaming his wisdom in the creation, the breaking his law is a disgracing his wisdom in the administration. Were they not rational, God would not enjoin them; and if they are rational, we are enemies to infinite wisdom by not complying with them.

2. In defacing the wise workmanship of God, Every sin is a defacing our own souls which as they are the prime creatures in the sensible world, had